Introduction

There are 4 key variables monitored by the MHRM Project over time. These are general job satisfaction, perceived fairness of compensation and benefits, job stress, and intent to stay at organizations. All 4 variables are measured along a 5-point Likert scale ranged from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). For the definition of the concepts used in this report, as well as details of the methodology employed and a profile of the study's respondent characteristics, please visit here.

General trends

Compared to previous years, all four HR indicators recorded their highest ratings in 2015. After then all indicators went in a less than desired direction. Employees' Perceived Fairness of Compensation and Benefit dropped to below 3.4 in 2016 and 2017, while Intent to Stay decreased to just above 3.1 in the same period. General Job Satisfaction decreased to 3.47 and 3.39 in these 2 years. Job Stress, which is measured in opposite scale, troughed in 2015 (score 2.72) and then rose in 2016 and 2017 to 2.88 and 2.99.

Overall scenario shows that employees in Macao's labour force show a slightly worried situation: Employees feel less satisfied with their jobs, more stressed, feel less fairly paid, and have lower intent to stay at their organisations.

Trends by industry

Focusing on the years 2015 and 2017 and viewing the 4 HR indicators across different industries, alarming similarities can be found among them. All industries scored lower in Job Satisfaction rating in 2017. At the same time, all but finance sectors scored a higher Job Stress score while all but F&B sectors recorded a lower intent-to-stay score

Perceived Fairness of Compensation and Benefit score was less monotonic, compared with the other 3 indicators. Still the majority of sectors recorded a lower score in 2017, but among them finance, retail and wholesale and travel agencies are the few exceptions found themselves with a higher score in 2017.

Trends by personal monthly income

Considering these 4 HR indicators relative to different levels of respondents’ personal monthly income, the highest income group (i.e., those with income more than $40,000) showed higher level of Job Satisfaction, Intent to Stay and Perceived Fairness of Compensation and Benefit than the other income groups. In Job Stress category, in 2017 there is no significant difference among all income groups, with score ranged narrowly between 2.91 and 3.03.

Trends by job position

Similar to previous findings, the graphs show that in 2017 the higher an employee is in job position, the higher the rating in all but Job Stress indicators. But actually in this year, Job Stress scores are not significantly different among various job level. This may further deepen the desperate situation of those who are not at top level.

Trends by work arrangement

Compared with 2015, as a general trend in 2017, employees record a higher level of job stress, but lower level of job satisfaction, loyalty and perceived level of C&B, regardless of job arrangement. Although both groups suffered a drop in score, those work in shift shows a relatively mild change than those in fixed shifts.

Trends by educational attainment

Examining the 4 HR indicators by employees' level of educational attainment, compared with 2015, in 2017 candidates of different educational level largely suffered a worse result, except the doctoral employees in the Perceived Fairness of Compensation and Benefit, and the Intent to Stay score of employees received vocational education.

Trends by residence status

Compared between 2015 & 2017, scores in 4 indicators fared differently. Job satisfaction and loyalty suffered significant drop in all residential status. At the same time, local employees think that they are not as fairly paid as before, while non-permanent employees experience lower stress level.

Trends by marital status

Compared with findings in 2015, generally in 2017 employees think they are less fairly paid, have lower level of job satisfaction and loyalty, and higher level of stress, no matter they are single or married.

Trends by presence of children

Even more significantly than the previous exhibits, whether employees have children or not, they tend to have worse experience in all 4 indicators in 2017 than 2015.

Trends by gender

More or less the same as the presence of children finding, employees tend to experience less pleasant fare in 2017 than 2015, no matter male or female.

To examine how employees perceive women as managers, the present study employed the Women as Managers Scale (WAMS) (Terborg et al. 1977). Specifically, the WAMS is intended to measure stereotypic attitudes toward women as managers. The scale consists of 11 positively worded items (e.g. “Women have the capability to acquire the necessary skills to be successful managers.”; “Problems associated with menstruation should not make women less desirable than men as employees.”; “Society should regard work by female managers as valuable as work by male managers.”.) and 10 negatively worded items (e.g. “It is less desirable for women than men to have a job that requires responsibility.”; “Women are less capable of learning mathematical and mechanical skills than are Men”; “Women are not competitive enough to be successful in the business world”). Participants indicated the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with each item from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). The total score on the WAMS is obtained by the mean of all positive responses and reversed negative responses. Higher values indicate a greater degree of perception of control.

1. Overall perceptions towards women as managers (WAMS)

Employees perception toward women as managers (WAMS) in Macao, seems to be slightly above the midpoint of scale (M=4.79, SD=0.723). Yet, when compared to values obtained in other countries (Javalgi et al. 2011; Sincoff et al. 2009), this is still low. It suggests that there are still a strong stereotypical views of gender roles in the workplace.

2. WAMS across different industry sectors

Across different industry sectors, it is evident from the results that employees working in male oriented occupations (e.g. electricity, gas and water supply; Real estate, Food & beverage) tend to view women in the more traditional sense, with more stereotypical views than those working in female oriented occupations (e.g. MICE, Leisure and entertainment, Public administration and social security).

3. Job Characteristics and WAMS

Some job related characteristics were found to be related to the perceptions of women as managers. Neither salary, nor job level are related to perceptions towards women as managers. That is, high and lower earners, tend to have similar perceptions towards women as managers. The same holds true for those occupying different job levels.

3.1 Number of service years

However, the number of service years in current position and current company is negatively associated with perceptions towards women as managers (r= -.124, p < .05 and r= -.144, p < .05).

4. Personal characteristics and WAMS

Many of the personal characteristics are found to be related to the perceptions of women as managers.

Specifically, There are marked differences between genders on how they view women as managers. Compared to women, men still hold less positive view of female as managers.

4.2 Age

Younger employees tend to be more receptive of women as managers, than older employees. Based on the results, employees’ age is negatively associated with perceptions towards women as managers (r= -.124, p < .05).

4.3 Education

Those with higher education, tend to have more positive views of women as managers.

5. Effects of WAMS on employees

Workers that shows more positive perceptions towards women as managers, they tend to show a lower preference to work with a male manager (r= -.118, p < .05). And when they work for a female manager, their intent to stay tend to be the highest. In fact, when the manager is male, gender preferences does not greatly influence intent to stay. However, as for female managers, when their subordinates gender preference does not correspond, it affects intent to stay greatly. This suggests that there are still skeptical views of women as managers and it may have negative impacts at the workplace.

6. Other factors related to WAMS

Amongst other factors related to WAMS (general job satisfaction, Perceived C&B Fairness and Job stress), only job stress was found to be negatively correlated. That is, employees with more positive views of women as managers tend to suffer less occupational stress.

7. Conclusion & Implications:

Although attitudes toward women managers in Macao are somewhat positive, it is important to recognize that this is still far below from other countries e.g. US. Thus, expatriates working in Macao, must recognize and reconciliate with this.

Increased salary, higher positions, accumulated number of years of work experience, none of these job-related characteristics seems to influence gender stereotypical views of women managers, and when it does, it does so only to a minor extent. Instead, personal characteristics, such as gender, age, education, seems to be closely related to these gender stereotypical views and is explained by the fact that it is culturally, historically, and socially rooted.

Negative attitudes towards women as managers, can affect intent to stay, and managers should be especially aware of situations where the manager is female. Because for female managers, when their subordinates gender preference does not correspond, it affects intent to stay. Thus, when establishing gender diversity in the workforce, caution should be exercised, as it may backfire.

Finally, it is important to create a greater awareness of gender diversity in the labour workforce, through training and seminars.

Analysis in this special focus report is based on data collected in June 2017 via both field and online survey (n=856). For further information regarding the MHRM project, methodology employed and a profile of the study's respondent characteristics, please visit here.

How common are supervisors managing subordinates of the opposite sex? How does supervisor gender influence subordinates’ job attitudes? Are there natural advantages for managers supervising subordinates of the same sex—or the opposite sex? This online report presents findings of a study that examined gender congruence affecting the workplace and opens up avenues for discussion among managers and employees.

A. Who do you report to at your company?

Other things held constant, the chances that a typical employee reports to a supervisor of the opposite sex is 50/50. This shows that managers supervising subordinates of the opposite sex has become a fact of organizational life that cannot be ignored.

B. Supervisor gender by industry type

Employees reporting to male supervisors are still commonplace in traditionally male-dominated industries namely Construction and Electricity, gas, and water supply. The same is also true in the sector of MICE and Cultural, arts and creative business. In each of these industries that we mentioned, there were at least three times many more employees who indicated that their supervisor was male. On the other hand, reporting to female supervisors has become more common in Retails, Education, and Hotels and resorts.

C. Supervisor gender across management level

In this study we found that supervisory duties were shared fairly equally across gender for entry-level and mid-level positions. However, it was less common to see women taking the lead at the top of the hierarchy.

D. The influence of supervisor gender on employees’ job attitudes

D.1. Job stress

Employees of both genders agreed that it was more stressful working under female supervisors. Male workers’ stress level was even higher than their female counterparts in this regard.

D.2. Treatment and recognition

Employees of both genders opined that male supervisors were able to foster workplace fairness by treating them all equally. Female supervisors, however, received less favorable evaluation from their male subordinates even though they were rated much more favorably by their female subordinates. This finding suggests that male subordinates generally feel unfairly treated or less recognized when working under a female boss.In contrast, female subordinates feel significantly better treated and recognized under a female boss. This further suggests that it remains a lingering challenge for female managers/ supervisors to be seen by their male subordinates as recognizing and treating everyone equally and fairly.

D.3. Job satisfaction and intent to stay

Interestingly, supervisor gender seemed to play a role in affecting employees’ job satisfaction. When reporting to male supervisors, male workers exhibited a relatively higher level of job satisfaction than their female counterparts. With female supervisors, however, male workers showed a steep drop in job satisfaction meanwhile that of female workers mildly increased.

Perhaps this explains why male workers expressed much stronger desire to stay with the organization when their supervisor was male (see Figure 7). The same was also true for female workers working under female supervisors.

Taken together, it seems to suggest that employee-supervisor gender congruence (i.e., that supervisor and subordinate are of the same gender) somehow influences workers’ level of commitment and their willingness to remain employed (Hewitt, 2004).

E. Employee-supervisor gender congruence effect

The hypothesis that employee-supervisor gender congruence influences employees’ job attitudes has gained further support when we detected employees showing a higher level of intent-to-stay when being managed by supervisors of the same gender. In the case where employees were supervised by someone of the opposite sex, their intention to stay weakened.

Likewise, under the same-gender pairing scenario, we noticed that employees had expressed relatively higher levels of job satisfaction in terms of job pay, job security, work environment, and treatment and recognition.

F. Conclusion

This study detected varying degrees of gender bias among Macao’s labor force. Employees’ job attitudes were found to change in relation to their supervisor’s gender. More precisely, employees seemed to prefer having a supervisor of the same gender rather than being supervised by someone of the opposite sex.

In this regard, when employee-supervisor genders are congruence (i.e., the same), employees expressed more willingness to stay with the employer and they were also more satisfied in their jobs.

The findings pertaining to this study is only indicative and more studies confirming these results are needed before they are generalized to the wider population. Nevertheless, this study reveals that gender-related issues are a relevant issue in Macao’s organizations and should be addressed. The results of this study open up avenues for managers and employees to share their thoughts and ideas in order to make their organizations a gender-friendly place to work for.

Analysis in this special focus report is based on data collected in June 2017 via both field and online survey (n=856). For further information regarding the MHRM project, methodology employed and a profile of the study's respondent characteristics, please visit here.

Introduction

There are 4 key variables monitored by the MHRM Project over time. These are general job satisfaction, perceived fairness of compensation and benefits, job stress, and intent to stay at organizations. All 4 variables are measured along a 5-point Likert scale ranged from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). For the definition of the concepts used in this report, as well as details of the methodology employed and a profile of the study's respondent characteristics, please visit here.

Global trends

Compared to previous years, all four HR indicators recorded higher ratings in 2015. In earlier years, however, employees' Perceived Fairness of Compensation and Benefit, General Job Satisfaction and Intent to Stay decreased before recovering. The converse was true for Job Stress which crested in 2013 (score 2.78) and from there improved throughout 2014 and 2015 (2.76 and 2.72 respectively). The overall picture, therefore, shows that employees in Macao's labor force show a favorable situation: Employees feelmore satisfied with their jobs, less stressed, feel more fairly paid, and have higher intent to stay at their organizations.

Trends by Industry

Focusing on the years 2014 and 2015 and viewing the 4 HR indicators across different industries, slightly more differences in the situation can be discerned. To wit:

Several industries scored higher in Job Satisfaction rating in 2015. These include Retail and Wholesale, Finance, Public Administration, Leisure and Entertainment, and Construction, Manufacturing the Utilities sectors. Although the other sectors did not fare as well, the difference is not significant. The Real Estates sector, in particular, show notable decline in job satisfaction.

The Real Estates sector also recorded a dip in ratings of Perceived Fairness of Compensation and Benefit, along with Transport and Storage, Leisure and Entertainment, Travel Agencies, Tour Companies & MICE and Construction. Manufacturing & Utilities however, scored increases in ratings, as did Hotels and Retail sectors.

Considering the recent economic adjustment, employees tended to express higher intent to stay in their current jobs. All but Food and Beverage had a higher Intent to Stay ratings in 2015. Though the F&B sector showed a drop in rating, it is only marginal (3.23 vs 3.22).

In terms of Job Stress levels, the F&B and Travel Agencies, Tour Companies & MICE sectors experienced significant rating declines, while the Real Estates sector improved. The hotel sector also recorded an unfavorable trend in this indicator, with reported mean stress ratings higher in 2015 than 2014.

Trends by Personal Monthly Income

Considering these 4 HR indicators relative to different levels of respondents’ personal monthly income, the lowest income group (i.e., those with income less than $10,000) showed lower stress levels (2.58 in 2014 vs 2.44 in 2015). Employees earning at higher income levels generally recorded significant improvements in perceived compensation and benefits, general job satisfaction, and higher intent to stay. With the exception of job stress levels, which tends to be the same across all income levels, the higher the monthly income of employees generates improved ratings across all indicators.

TRENDS BY JOB position

Our latest findings show that the higher an employee is in job position, the higher the rating in all but Job Stress indicators--there is a price to pay for success. Interestingly on Job Stress, 2014 and 2015 told a different story for the top- and entry-level positions. The former felt the stress rising from 2.72 in 2014 to 2.84 in 2015, while the latter felt lower stress, with the indicator dropping from 2.76 in 2014 to 2.66 in 2015.

Trends by Work arrangement

For employees who need to work in shifts, only the Intent of Stay indicator recorded improved ratings in 2015. For employees not working in shifts, all indicators recorded improvements except Job Stress. Comparing the indicators between these 2 groups in 2014 and 2015, employees who did not need to work in shifts generally had better ratings than those working in shifts.

Trends by Educational attainment

Examining the 4 HR indicators by employees' level of educational attainment, the latest data indicates that the lot of employees with vocational education improved significantly from 2014 to 2015 in terms of their perceived fairness in compensation and benefits, job satisfaction, and intent to stay. This employee group's ratings for stress rose to levels comparable with other employees of different educational attainment.

Trends by Residence Status

In terms of job stress, work permit holders felt the lowest stress levels across 2014 and 2015 and had higher job satisfaction in 2015. Non-permanent residents, however had lower job satisfaction and higher job stress levels.

Trends by Marital Status

Married employees reported better ratings in perceived fairness, general job satisfaction and intent to stay in 2015, except for job stress, which stayed at the same level as in 2014. Employees who are single, however, tend to report lower or poorer ratings across all indicators.

Trends by Presence of Children

All indicators except Job Stress recorded a rise of value in 2015. Employees with children generally reported better ratings in all 4 indicators.

How can organizations identify which types of employees are more likely to stay or leave their jobs? What can organizations do to retain them? This special focus report examined relevant individual and organizational factors influencing employees’ intent to stay with their employers. For a definition of the concepts used in this special focus report, as well as details of the methodology employed and a profile of the study's respondent characteristics, please visit here.

A. Intent to stay (ITS) across different sectors

Employees in the manufacturing industry demonstrated the strongest intent to stay with their current organizations. In contrast, employees working in hotels, restaurants, and casinos show relatively lower intention to stay with their employers.

B. Employee Characteristics and Their Effect on Intent to Stay (ITS)

B.1. Job Position

Job position plays a significant role in affecting employees’ ITS (p<0.05). Our findings show that the higher an employee is on the career ladder, the stronger the desire to remain with the organization.

B.2. Work arrangement: Shift vs regular hours

Employees’ intent to stay differed significantly (p<0.01) between those who work on shift and those who need not work on shift. Moreover, for those employees who have to work on shift, the type of shift work that they do also affect their intent to stay.

B.3. Job position and work schedule effects on Intent to Stay (ITS)The combined effect of ‘job position’ and ‘work schedule’ indicates that entry-level workers who are currently doing shift work havelower intention to stay with the organization.

B.4. Length of service Our findings show that the longer an employee stays with the organization, the higher the intention to remain with the organization. This suggests a reinforcing cycle--the longer an organization is able to retain an employee over time, the stronger the feeling to stay on.

B.5. Types of career mobility

In this special focus report, we examined the effect of an employee's career mobility (i.e. whether he was ‘internally hired/promoted’ or ‘externally hired’ for the current job position) on intent to stay. To measure employees’ career mobility, the survey asked respondents to disclose information about their job prior to getting into their current position in the company.

On the surface, our findings show that employee career mobility does not significantly affect employees' intention to stay with their current employers. This suggests that employees who are ‘internally hired’ for a job position are no more committed to the organization than those who are ‘externally hired’.

However, when the combined effect of length of service and career mobility on intent to stay is examined, it becomes apparent that as work tenure lengthens, employees who hold onto their current position by means of ‘internal hiring’ (i.e. they worked their way up the hierarchy) express a stronger desire to remain with their employers. This suggests that the effectiveness of ‘internal hiring policy’ grows over time and as long as the organization succeeds in retaining employees.

Results of multiple regression analysis conducted to determine which of these 4 organizational factors affected employees' intent to stay indicated that satisfaction with ‘job security’, ‘job pay’, and ‘supervisory quality and recognition’ are significant and positive predictors of intent to stay. More interestingly, satisfaction with‘job pay’ has the largest predictive power, followed by ‘supervisory quality and recognition’ and ‘job security’. ‘Social environment’ had minimal or no significant influence on employees' intent to stay.

When the same analysis was conducted with the inclusion of job stress, the picture changes slightly: ‘job pay’ remains as the most significant predictor of intent to stay, followed by ‘job stress’ (but a negative predictor), ‘supervisory quality and recognition’, and ‘job security’. ‘Social environment’ remains inconsequential in improving employees' intent to stay.

C.2. Employee and organizational factors of Intent to StayWe can take the analysis to the next level by examining the combined effect between employee characteristics and organizational factors on intent to stay. For instance, the diagram below (Figure 11) indicates that employees who score higher on intent to stay (ITS) possess two attributes: They do not need to work on shift and they are also more satisfied with their pay. Conversely, employees who demonstrated less desire to stay with the organization are those who need to work on shift and are less satisfied with their pay. (Note: Diagrammatically speaking, we may further say that so long as employees are satisfied with their pay, they will still hold on to their jobs regardless that their jobs require them to work on shift.)

D. Conclusions

This study identifies employee and organizational characteristics that affect an employee’s intention to stay with the employer.

Employees’ job position, work schedule, length of service, and career mobility were found to significantly affect intent to stay but in varying degrees. Looking at the combined effect of these factors, however, provides a clearer picture of who are more likely to turn over or leave the organization.

Organizational factors like job security, job pay, supervisory quality and recognition, and job stress were found to be significant predictors of intent to stay.

Employee length of service

Some employees stay only a few years in their organizations. On the other hand, it is rare to see employees stay many years, either. In this analysis, we examine employee length of service (LOS), measured in years, in Macau's various industrial sectors and overall. This report draws from the 2015 wave of the Macau Human Resource Monitor (MHRM) annual survey conducted by ITRC (with the exception of a few comparison graphs, which includes 2014 findings). For definitions of the concepts used in this special focus report, as well as details of the methodology employed and a profile of the study's respondent characteristics, please visit here.

a. average Length of service

The average length of service (or tenure) of Macao employees is 3.25 years. In two survey waves conducted in 2015 and 2014, the average period for service was almost unchanged. Figure 1 below shows the average for 2015 and 2014. After 3.25 years in an organization, the probability of any employee leaving begins to increase--the 3.25-year "itch."

B. promotion prospects and length of service

One factor influencing employee length of tenure is the opportunity to advance one's career or to assume higher organizational positions. In the 2015 MHRM wave, the survey queried respondents not only how many years they have been working in their organizations but also how many years they have been in their current position. See Figure 2. There is a close correspondence between these two statistics, Pearson correlation = .893 (p<.001). If internal opportunities for advancement in one's current organization are good, one would expect a divergence in these two statistics. For example, years in current position would on average be lower despite than years worked in the current organization.

C. Length of service across different sectors

Sectors such as manufacturing, gaming, and construction tend to have above average employee tenure in Macao. In contrast, the real estate, MICE and food & beverage sectors ten to have very short periods of employee tenure. Employees working in the hotel, leisure, and entertainment sectors also have short periods of tenure, on average around 2 years.

D. Is income a key variable for employees to stay longer at organizations?

Income is a strong determinant for longer employee tenure but at what level is it influential? Based on the 2015 survey data, we find that employees with income levels below MOP30,000 per month generally exhibit shorter periods of service years. Above the MOP30,000 monthly income level, employee tenure at organizations tend to significantly lengthen and stabilize. See Figure 4 below.

Of course, higher levels of pay are correlated with higher level roles and responsibilities in any organization. Thus, it can also be expected that employees assuming higher than middle or supervisory level positions in their organizations can be expected to stay longer, on average around 9 years. See Figure 5 below.

E. employee personal characteristics and length of tenure

Age, gender and, marital status, and the presence of children are influential in determining in employees' length of service in an organization. In general, employees below the age threshold of 30 years tend to have shorter length of tenure at organizations, stabilizing only after reaching beyond age 30 years. (See Figure 6.) Male employees also tend to significantly stay longer at organizations, compared to female employees (for male, the average is 3.7 years, for females, 2.9 years). See Figure 7. This is intriguing as it suggests female employees to be more susceptible to other factors influencing their decision to stay in organizations for shorter duration. Figure 8 below shows that having children (regardless of whether an employee is married or single) influences an employees tenure to be longer than having no children. Among those with children, however, being married increases the likelihood of staying longer in an organization, presumably for stability purposes.

F. Organizational factors and their effect on employee length of tenure

Of 5 organizational factors examined (security with job, social environment, supervisory quality, recognition, and pay or compensation) for their effects on employee length of service, two factors, satisfaction with job security and satisfaction with pay or compensation**, proved critical in distinguishing between employees who stay longer at their organizations (i.e., on average > than 3.25 years) and employees who do not stay for long. Other factors such as the social environment, supervisory quality, or recognition, did not arise as significantly distinguishing between longer versus shorter staying employees.

Conclusion

While it is normal for employees to seek better opportunities and environments to work in, it is essential to identify the factors that stimulate or inhibit such behavior. The following are the key takeaways from the MHRM 2015 survey:

On average, employees in Macau stay 3.25 years in their organizations. Beyond this threshold, employees are likely to start jumping ship.

Some industrial sectors foster more stable (i.e., longer staying) employees, while other sectors, including the hotel, leisure, and entertainment sectors are burdened with shorter staying employees.

Promotion prospects, income, and one's position in an organization's hierarchy are key factors associated with length of tenure. This point is crucial because if organizations in one sector altogether increase the prospects for promotion, income levels, and offer higher level roles, that sector could be expected to suffer from shorter employee tenure.

The personal (or demographic) characteristics of employees are also key: Employees above 30 years, male, and married with children are the most likely to stay longer at organizations. Though professional stability is often sought by employees at the middle or late stages of their life cycle and to be expected, organizations should set in place multi-life-cycle strategies to inhibit shorter tenure (or job-shifting), particularly toward those in their early life-cycles.

The two most important organizational factors fostering longer employee tenure are pay and security. Both are essential. Increasing pay without enhancing job security--or vice-versa--may be ineffective in encouraging employees to stay longer.

How do Macao Employees perceive their career prospects in their organizations? Are these expectations realistic or too optimistic to be real?

Besides money, employees value greatly career prospects offered by their organizations, as it ensures a certain degree of job security and stability. More importantly, is how they perceive these prospects namely in terms of promotion. Thus, the current report examined employees expected promotion and how well it corresponds to the reality. Further analysis was conducted to examine the factors related to these expectations in regards to promotion and its implications for the individual and the organization. For definitions of the concepts used in this special focus report, as well as details of the methodology employed and a profile of the study's respondent characteristics, please visit here.

1.1 Expected promotion time

1.1.1 Overall Expected promotion timeOn average, Macao employees expect to receive a promotion within 1.31 years of service. Most respondents (63.8%) believe that they would/should receive a promotion within a years’ time. Of which, 20.2% indicated that they should have been promoted long ago, as indicated in Figure 1.

Similarly, when asked about the time that they think it would take their peers to receive a promotion, the results were identical (Figure 1).

1.1.2 Expected promotion time by tenure (job level)A closer look at the predicted promotion times, employees at the lowest level of an organization predicted the highest number of years required for a promotion (1.36 years). As the organizational ladder moves up, the predicted promotion times decreases accordingly (Figure 2). To that extend, employees assuming higher organizational positions have higher expectations regarding their promotion. Nonetheless, the majority of employees expected to be promoted within a years’ time, of which, 40% of managers and 20% of employees at the supervisory or entry level believed that they should have been promoted (Figure 3). Except managers, supervisory and entry level employees, on average, predicted a shorter amount of promotion time for their peers than they would predict for themselves (Figure 4).

1.2(un)Realistic predictions

Despite of the apparent high expectations of promotion, the predicted times for promotion alone do not indicate the extent to which it is (un)realistic. Given that, an employee that stated they should have been promoted may appear to be unrealistic, yet if they have worked long enough in their current position, their prediction could be in fact, be realistic. Thus, to assert whether a predicted promotion time is unrealistic, the number of years served in a given position needs to be taken into account before comparing it to the average time required for a promotion. By adding the number of years served in a given position to the predicted promotion time, it would result in the total number of years that a person estimates to spend in a job position before the next promotion. Then this value is compared to the average time required for an employee to get promoted that is obtained by the difference of average years in company and average years in current job position of all respondents as indicated by the following formula:

Positive values of the difference would indicate that the average promotion time (first part of the formula) is higher than the total estimated time spent on a given job position (second part of the formula), reflecting an optimistically biased promotion perception. That is, the employee expects to get promoted before what is normally required. On the other hand, negative values of the difference would indicate that the average promotion time is lower than the total estimated time spent on a given job position. In that sense, the employee expects to spend more time on a job position than what is normally required before the next promotion.

1.2.1 Average Promotion time / rateTo obtain the average promotion time / rate, the average number of years in the current job position was subtracted from the average number of years in the current company. The result of the difference would indicate the average number of years that were spent on a job position before promotion. It is worth noting that first-time job holders were excluded, as well as those who did not work in the same company prior to their current job position.

On average, the promotion rate of Macao employees is 3.95 years. Specifically, it would take on average, 10.22 for managerial / top level employees to get promoted, 4.41 years at the supervisory level and 2.96 years at the entry level (Figure 5).

1.2.2 Estimated total number of years in a given job positionMacao employees predicted on average, that they would spend 4.2 years in their current job position before receiving their next promotion. The estimated total number of years in a given job position is fairly similar across different organizational levels (Figure 5).

1.2.3 Optimistic bias in promotion perceptionAs denoted earlier, the optimistic bias in promotion perception is not a measure that is readily available. To determine whether an employee’s promotion prediction is optimistically biased, his/her estimated total number of years in a given job position (section 1.2.2) needs to be compared to the average promotion rate (section 1.2.1). Overall, 47.1% of the respondents exhibited an optimistically biased promotion perception, whereas 52.9% were pessimistic. As shown in Figure 6 employees at the managerial level and entry level provided the most unrealistic predictions regarding their promotion. However, it is worth noting that 88.9% of the surveyed managers (Figure 7) were rather optimistically biased towards their promotion (predicted time was 4.64 years below the average promotion time). Employees holding supervisory job positions were the most accurate as the estimated total time in a given job prior to promotion was fairly similar to the average time for promotion. Yet, almost half of them were optimistically biased towards their promotion (56.8%).

Regarding entry level employees, on average, they estimated that they would have to spend 1.16 years than what is needed on average prior to get promoted. Despite of the majority of entry level job holders exhibiting this pessimistic view regarding their promotion (49.4%), there are at least 30% that believes otherwise.

1.2.3.1 Optimistic Bias promotion perception across different sectorsMost of the individuals that exhibited an optimistic bias in their promotion perception are working in sectors such as retail, gaming, public administration and finance. Conversely sectors such as manufacturing, wholesale and MICE have the lowest percentage of optimistically biased employees Figure 8.

1.3 Factors related to Optimistic predictions

1.3.1 Organizational factors - Performance Appraisal & FeedbackEmployees may rely on several cues within the organizational context to determine their chances of being promoted. Though not limited to, employees tend to predict their promotion based on how well they think they have performed within the organization. From the results shown in Figure 9, employees that are rarely evaluated and rarely receive feedback regarding their performance are the most optimistically biased in terms of their promotion. When the frequency at which appraisal is conducted does not correspond to the frequency at which feedback is provided (either frequently conducted appraisal and infrequent feedback, or infrequent appraisal and frequent feedback) employees seem to provide inaccurate predictions of their promotion as well.

A two-way ANOVA was conducted to examine the effects of performance appraisal and appraisal feedback on.

1.3.2Individual factors – Perceptions of controlIn addition to the frequency of performance appraisal and appraisal feedback, participants perceptions of control over the promotion is another factor that is found to be associated with optimistic bias in promotion perception r(507) = .19, p < .01. Employees who areoptimistically biased towards their promotion, also showed higher degree of perceptions of control (M=3.54, SD=0.71 vs M=3.28, SD=0.78).

Naturally, individuals who believe that they are in control of their future outcome, will also believe that they would achieve more desirable results.

1.4 Implications of being Optimistically biased

So what are the implications of being optimistically biased towards promotion perception? The results of the MHRM survey indicated that job satisfaction and general well-being bore no relationship to optimistic bias (Table 1). However, OB employees seem to have less intentions to stay within an organization and lower perceived C&B fairness than non OB employees. Finally, these individuals also perceive their performance to be higher than non OB employees.

Table 1. Correlations between OB. and organizational variables.

1.5 Other aspects of promotion perception

In addition to the optimistic bias in promotion perception, the surveyed respondents were asked respondents what were the reasons that could possibly be attributed to when they get and fail to get a promotion respectively. In cases where they fail to get a promotion, the most common reason is attributed to external, uncontrollable factors (e.g. luck or favoritism, personal characteristics). Whereas when they receive a promotion, the vast majority indicated that it was due to exceptional and reliable performance (internally controllable factors).

1.6 Conclusion

The present study examined the promotion perception of Macao employees, and to what extend these expectations are (un)realistic. The factors that are associated with the unrealistic expectations and the possible implications were explored.

The frequency at which performance appraisal is conducted and feedback is given is related to optimistically biased promotion perception. To that extend, when there is a close correspondence of appraisal and feedback frequency, promotion expectations tend to be more realistic.

Potentially, when promotion expectations are too optimistic, employees are less likely to stay in an organization, tend to perceive C&B as more unfair, and overestimate their work performance

Methodological notes:

Job satisfaction is measured using the JDS scale (Hackman & Oldham, 1974) and is composed of the average of three survey items: “Generally speaking, I am very satisfied with my current job”, “I am generally satisfied with the kind of work I do in my current job”, and “I frequently think of quitting my current job” (reverse coded).

Respondents’ agreement with each of the three statement is measured using a 5-point Likert scale with 5 indicating strong agreement and 1 indicating strong disagreement. All scales reported below correspond to this 5-point agreement scale, unless otherwise indicated.

Data is collected via field survey that take place in major transportation hubs in Macao as well as several residential areas. Respondents are selected following a systematic random sampling technique and interviews are conducted face-to-face with the help of a structured questionnaire. Interviews are conducted in either English or Chinese. Respondents are interviewed if they are permanent or non-permanent residents, or hold non-resident worker’s permit, and are employed full-time in Macao at the time of the survey.

Total number of respondents for the 2012 survey wave was 525 and 1,046 for 2013. Description of the sample’s characteristics can be found here.

Results

1.0 Overall job satisfaction

Compared to 2012, there was a slight but significant increase in overall job satisfaction in all employment sectors. It is notable, however, that the means for 2012 and 2013, are only slightly above the 5-point satisfaction scale mid-point of 3.00.

2.0 Job satisfaction by industry sector

Respondents from all industry sectors report job satisfaction higher than the mid-point of 3.0 in the 5-point agreement scale. Of the 12 industry sectors, workers from the gaming and casino sectors report the lowest levels of job satisfaction, followed next by those in the food and beverage sectors and by workers in hotels and resorts. Workers employed in other sectors (i.e., other than those listed) report the highest levels of job satisfaction, followed by workers in public administration.

Job satisfaction levels were better in most sectors in 2013, with the exception of those working in travel agencies, tour companies and MICE organizations, as well as those in the construction, manufacturing and utility sectors.

(Note: the industry classification system in this chart follows that of the Census and Statistics Bureau of Macau or DSEC.)

3.0 Job satisfaction by monthly income

Employees with monthly income of MOP30,000 or above report significantly higher levels of job satisfaction than those earning below MOP30,000. This pattern arises for both 2012 and 2013. Employees earning up to MOP9,999, however, expressed significantly better job satisfaction in 2013 compared to 2012.

4.0 Job satisfaction by level of educational attainment

With the exception of workers having received no formal education, the level of job satisfaction hardly differs between those with different types of educational attainment, although this can change from year-to-year. Workers with no formal educational attainment report significantly lower job satisfaction compared to those with some or extensive educational attainments. The lack of difference in job satisfaction between workers of different educational attainment seems to suggest a lack of “fit” between what their employment requires from them and the skills and abilities they have acquired or for which they have been formally trained or educated.

5.0 Job satisfaction by residency status

There is little difference between permanent and non-permanent residents in the level of their job satisfaction, except in 2013 when non-permanent residents expressed slightly better levels of job satisfaction. Non-permanent workers tend to exhibit greater variation in the level of their job satisfaction (as suggested by the larger bands of the error bars in the chart below). Generally, however, non-residents permit holders tend to express lower levels of job satisfaction compared to others.

6.0 Job satisfaction by marital status

Married workers expressed higher levels of job satisfaction compared to their single or unattached colleagues in 2013 and slightly better than their job satisfaction in 2012.

7.0 Job satisfaction by presence of children

Workers with children significantly expressed higher levels of job satisfaction compared to their colleagues who have no children in 2013 and slightly better than their job satisfaction in 2012.

8.0 Job satisfaction by gender

Little if any difference in job satisfaction levels exists between male and female workers, suggesting good gender equality conditions at Macau’s organizations.

9.0 Job satisfaction by shift work duty

Employees working in shift or irregular schedules express lower overall job satisfaction than those working with regular hours. The difference in job satisfaction may have even widened in 2013, compared to 2012.

Methodological notes:

Perceived fairness of compensation and benefits is measured using a two-item scale developed by Mount & Bartlett (2002). The two items are: “Compared to similar companies in my industry, I am paid fairly for the work I do,” and “Compared to similar companies in my industry, the benefits I receive at my company are fair.”

Respondents’ agreement with each of the above statements is measured using a 5-point Likert scale with 5 indicating strong agreement and 1 indicating strong disagreement. All scales reported in the charts below correspond to this 5-point agreement scale, unless otherwise indicated.

Data is collected via field survey that take place in major transportation hubs in Macao as well as several residential areas. Respondents are selected following a systematic random sampling technique and interviews are conducted face-to-face with the help of a structured questionnaire. Interviews are conducted in either English or Chinese. Respondents are interviewed if they are permanent or non-permanent residents, or hold non-resident worker’s permit, and are employed full-time in Macao at the time of the survey.

Total number of respondents for the 2012 survey wave was 525 and 1,046 for 2013. Description of the sample’s characteristics can be found here.

Results

1.0 Overall perceived fairness of CAB

Overall, workers expressed relatively positive perception of fairness in the compensation and benefits received from their organizations, with mean agreement level at 3.39 (out of a scale maximum of 5) in 2013 and 3.41 in 2012--statistically unchanged.

2.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by industry sector

Across different industry sectors, perceived fairness of CAB varied. Workers in public administration, travel-related sectors as well as hotels and resorts, for example, report generally higher perceived fairness than others such as those in the leisure, entertainment and creative as well as the food and beverage and casino/gaming sectors.

There also seems to be significant shifts in perceived fairness across just two years of survey data. In some sectors, perceived fairness was reported higher in 2013 than in 2012 but the opposite could be observed in other sectors.

What the data seems to suggest is that perceived fairness of organizational compensation and benefits is a highly volatile and changeable observation by workers. This in turn suggests that organizations frequently update relative information covering compensation and benefits to dispel misconceptions.

(Note: the industry classification system in this chart follows that of the Census and Statistics Bureau of Macau or DSEC.)

3.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by monthly income

Not surprisingly, perceived fairness of compensation and benefits received significantly increases as monthly income received increases. The “floor” of perceived fairness is relatively set by those earning the lowest monthly income (i.e., less than MOP10,000 per month), for whom perceived fairness hovers around the 5-point scale mid-point of 3.0, observed in both the survey years 2012 and 2013.

4.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by level of educational attainment

There is also an observed correlation between level of educational attainment and perceived fairness of compensation and benefits received (together of course with the monthly income). Workers with higher levels of educational attainment report significantly higher perceived fairness. Interestingly, for workers with no formal education, and those with primary and middle school education, there is no significant difference in perceived fairness--workers having lower than high school education, therefore, tend to have the same perceived fairness levels. It might benefit organizations to distinguish CAB entitlements not solely in terms of work performance but in tandem with considerations for whether or not workers attain or have attained some form of education.

5.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by residency status

Non-resident workers tend to express the lowest levels of perceived compensation and benefits, followed next by non-permanent residents (though for this group, their opinion varied between 2012 and 2013) and permanent residents, who expressed the highest levels of perceived compensation and benefits.

6.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by marital status

There is no difference between workers who are married and workers who are single in terms of the way they perceive their compensation and benefits received as fair. Both groups of workers report generally favorable perceived fairness and this sentiment remained consistent in 2012 and 2013.

7.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by presence of children

There is no difference between workers who have children and workers who do not have children in terms of the way they perceive their compensation and benefits received as fair. Both groups of workers report generally favorable perceived fairness and this sentiment remained consistent in 2012 and 2013.

8.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by gender

There is no difference between male and female workers in terms of the way they perceive their compensation and benefits received as fair. Both groups of workers report generally favorable perceived fairness and this sentiment remained consistent in 2012 and 2013.

9.0 Perceived fairness of CAB by shift work duty

Despite higher work stress, lower levels of job satisfaction, and lower intent-to-stay (see other accompanying reports to this one), shift workers express little or no significant difference compared to non-shift workers in terms of the way they perceive their compensation and benefits received as fair. Both groups of workers report generally favorable perceived fairness and this sentiment remained consistent in 2012 and 2013.

Methodological notes

Intent-to-stay (ISS) is measured using a scale developed by Hunt, Osborn & Martin (1981) and is assessed as the average level of agreement with four survey items: “I will definitely leave this organization in the next year”, “It is very unlikely that I would ever consider leaving this company”, “If I were completely free to choose, I would prefer very much not to continue working for this organization”, and “It is very important for me to spend my career in this organization.” ISS can be considered a proxy for employee loyalty (though loyalty itself is a far more multi-dimensional concept) and may be able to predict short- to medium-term turnover levels at organizations.

Respondents’ agreement with each of the above statements is measured using a 5-point Likert scale with 5 indicating strong agreement and 1 indicating strong disagreement. All scales reported in the charts below correspond to this 5-point agreement scale, unless otherwise indicated.

Data is collected via field survey that take place in major transportation hubs in Macao as well as several residential areas. Respondents are selected following a systematic random sampling technique and interviews are conducted face-to-face with the help of a structured questionnaire. Interviews are conducted in either English or Chinese. Respondents are interviewed if they are permanent or non-permanent residents, or hold non-resident worker’s permit, and are employed full-time in Macao at the time of the survey.

Total number of respondents for the 2012 survey wave was 525 and 1,046 for 2013. Description of the sample’s characteristics can be found here.

Results

1.0 Overall intent-to-stay

Survey respondents in 2012 and 2013 did not seem to indicate a strong propensity to stay nor leave their organizations, with the overall average in the ISS scale hovering near the 5-point scale mid-point value of 3.00. Average score for the ISS in 2013 was 3.32 and hardly differed statistically from the 3.27 average recorded in 2012.

2.0 Intent-to-stay by industry sector

Across different industries, employees’ intent-to-stay at their organizations vary considerably. Those working in the gaming and casino and in the transport, storage and communication sectors tend to “sit on the fence”most (see bottom of the chart on the right). Somewhat close to this level of indifference are workers in the food and beverage and hotels and resort sectors. Sectors with high-levels of intent-to-stay include public administration and the construction, manufacturing and utilities sectors.

(Note: the industry classification system in this chart follows that of the Census and Statistics Bureau of Macau or DSEC.)

3.0 Intent-to-stay by monthly income

The MHR Monitor shows a possible relationship with income and intent-to-stay, with those receiving higher monthly income expressing higher levels of ISS than those with lower monthly income. This relationship seems consistent during both survey waves conducted in 2012 and 2013.

4.0 Intent-to-stay by level of educational attainment

Survey data shows that workers with educational attainment at the Master’s level or above tend to have significantly higher intent-to-stay than those with Bachelor’s level of education or below. There appears to be no difference in this relationship between the two survey waves conducted in 2012 and 2013.

5.0 Intent-to-stay by residency status

There is no statistical difference in the intent-to-stay between permanent and non-permanent resident workers. However, non-resident workers reported significantly lower ISS in 2012, though their average improved considerably in 2013.

6.0 Intent-to-stay by marital status

Workers who are married reported significantly higher intention-to-stay at their organizations in 2013 than they did in 2012. For workers who are single or unattached, their intent-to-stay is generally and significantly lower than married workers and this sentiment remained the same across both survey years in 2012 and 2013.

7.0 Intent-to-stay by presence of children

Workers without children generally report significantly lower intention to stay at their organizations than workers with children. This was observed in both survey years 2012 and 2013. For some reasons, however, this sentiment was enhanced in 2013, with workers with children expressing significantly greater intent-to-stay in 2013 than in 2012.

8.0 Intent-to-stay by gender

Though general levels of intentions to stay at their organizations remained the same for both 2012 and 2013, there seemed to have been a reversal in opinion for male and female workers. In 2012, male workers expressed greater intent-to-stay at their organizations than did female workers; in 2013, however, this sentiment was reversed, with female workers expressing significantly greater intent-to-stay at organizations compared to male workers. It is incumbent for organizations to determine possible internal and external causes to this reversal in gender sentiments regarding continuing their careers at their current organizations.

9.0 Intent-to-stay by shift work duty

Workers in shift duties or irregular scheduled work hours show significantly lower intent-to-stay at their organizations than those working regular hours. This sentiment was consistent for both survey years 2012 and 2013. Generally, therefore, shift workers have greater propensity toward leaving their organizations at any time.

Methodological notes:

Work stress is measured using the job stress scale (JSS) developed by Lambert, Hogan, Camp & Ventura (2006) and is assessed as the average of respondents’ level of agreement with four survey items: “A lot of time my job makes me very frustrated or angry”, “I am usually under a lot of pressure when I am at work”, “When I’m at work I often feel tense or uptight”, “I am usually calm and at ease when I am working” (reverse coded), and “There are a lot of aspects of my job that make me upset.”

Data is collected via field survey that take place in major transportation hubs in Macao as well as several residential areas. Respondents are selected following a systematic random sampling technique and interviews are conducted face-to-face with the help of a structured questionnaire. Interviews are conducted in either English or Chinese. Respondents are interviewed if they are permanent or non-permanent residents, or hold non-resident worker’s permit, and are employed full-time in Macao at the time of the survey.

Total number of respondents for the 2012 survey wave was 525 and 1,046 for 2013. Description of the sample’s characteristics can be found here.

Results

1.0 Overall work stress

Compared to 2012, there was a slight but significant increase in overall work stress levels across all employment sectors in 2013. Nevertheless, work stress levels as a whole have been below the scale mid-point of 3.0 since 2012. Generally, therefore, work stress levels have not been high for organizations in Macao, despite a robust growth in economic activity.

2.0 Work stress by industry sector

Sectors with the highest work stress levels include the gaming, casino, finance and leisure, entertainment and cultural sectors. Workers in transport, storage and communication as well as travel or tour related companies and those in the MICE sector also report comparatively higher work stress than other industries. Nevertheless, the sector with the highest work stress levels in 2013, gaming and casinos (= 3.01), approaches only the middle of the 5-point scale, suggesting that workers in this sector find work to be neither too stressful nor too calming.

(Note: the industry classification system in this chart follows that of the Census and Statistics Bureau of Macau or DSEC.)

3.0 Work stress by monthly income

There appears to be a significant relationship between the level of monthly income earned by workers and the degree of work stress experienced, with higher income coinciding with higher reporting of work stress levels. However, this relationship reverses sometimes, as has happened in the last two years of the MHRM survey. In 2013, workers with monthly income at MOP30,000 or more reported lower work stress levels than in 2012. The reverse was observed for workers earning less than MOP30,000 per month on average: Work stress level for these groups was significantly higher in 2013 than in 2012.

4.0 Work stress by level of educational attainment

Though there are slight differences in the level of work stress of workers having different types of educational attainment, these differences were not significantly different and attributable only to chance.

5.0 Work stress by residency status

Stress levels were higher in 2013 than in 2012 across the board for all workers, regardless of their residency status in Macao. Despite the significant increase (especially for permanent residents), overall stress levels for all groups are below the scale mid-point of 3.0.

6.0 Work stress by marital status

For married workers, work stress levels were more or less stable across 2012 and 2013. For workers who are single or unattached, however, 2013 was relatively and significantly more stressful than 2012, even if the overall average is below the scale mid-point of 3.0.

7.0 Work stress by presence of children

Workers without children reported significantly higher work stress in 2013 than in 2012. For workers with children, the opposite was true--2013 was less stressful than 2012. Though organizations have to adopt policies that will meet the needs of workers with or without children, it is imperative that such policies do not favor one over the other and should be adopted to changing external circumstances for either demographic group.

8.0 Work stress by gender

For both female and male workers, 2013 was slightly but significantly more stressful relative to 2012.

9.0 Work stress by shift work duty

Workers in shift schedules or working in irregular hours generally report significantly higher work stress than workers with regular hours. Such sentiments became significantly even more pronounced in 2013 especially for workers with shift schedules, though both shift and non-shift workers reported generally higher stress levels in 2013.